Archive for month: May, 2013

“Target partners with Facebook to push its digital Cartwheel to shoppers” by Thomas Lee at Star-Tribune.  “In its boldest foray into digital retailing, Target is launching Wednesday a test version of Cartwheel, an ambitious collaboration with the world’s largest social network that will allow users to earn savings via Facebook and then use their smartphones to redeem those savings in stores.  Though retailers have used social networks like Twitter and Pinterest to promote products and influence opinion, generating real sales has so far proven elusive. By using mobile devices to help drive people to its stores, Cartwheel might be the missing piece to this “multichannel” puzzle, Target officials say.”  Read more:  https://www.startribune.com/business/206530061.html

“Wal-Mart Said to Focus on Two Internal Choices for Next CEO” at Businessweek.  “The two leading contenders are international chief Doug McMillon, 46, and Bill Simon, 53, who runs the U.S. operations, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. While Duke, 63, isn’t expected to step down immediately, Wal-Mart may name his successor in the coming months, the person said.”  Read more:  https://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-07/wal-mart-said-to-focus-on-two-internal-candidates-to-succeed-ceo

“Whole Foods Profit Rises 20% as Store Sales Improve” by Leslie Patton at Businessweek.  “Whole Foods, which plans to triple its U.S. store count to about 1,000, has lured Americans who are becoming more concerned with eating organic and healthy foods. The 349-location grocer is expanding to smaller cities including Maple Grove, Minnesota, and Closter, New Jersey. Same-store sales rose 6.9 percent in the quarter.”  Read more:  https://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-07/whole-foods-net-income-rises-20-percent-as-same-store-sales-improve

“Target Dollhouse In Grand Central Is Probably Bigger Than Your Apartment” by Christina Anderson at HuffPo.  “Target unveiled a life-size, two-story dollhouse in Grand Central Terminal here in New York yesterday. The dollhouse features 1540-square-feet of living space, making it larger than most New York apartments.  The structure — named the “Threshold Dollhouse” was assembled by 50 individuals in less than 54 hours, and it comes furnished. The house was assembled as a very elaborate way to showcase Target’s spring line of accessories. There are between 3500 and 4000 items on display, including towels, lamps and throw pillows.”  See the pictures and video:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/target-dollhouse-grand-central-photos_n_3229487.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

“Online grocery ordering and home delivery move to organic market” by Karen Nitkin at The Baltimore Sun.  “Relay Foods is one of several grocery delivery services operating in the Baltimore area, each with a different niche. Giant-affiliated Peapod home-delivers some 12,000 items that can be found in Giant stores to nearly 400,000 customers. Hometown Harvest, based in Frederick, delivers locally grown produce and is adding meats, dairy products and even salmon.”  Read more: https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/bs-fo-organic-grocery-delivery-20130507,0,6489251.story#ixzz2ShMEfGIE

“Internet Sales Tax Bill Faces Tough Sell in House” at U.S. News.  “House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has not commented publicly about the bill, giving supporters hope that he could be won over. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would have jurisdiction over the bill, has cited problems with the legislation but not rejected it outright.”  Read more:  https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/07/Internet%20sales%20tax%20bill%20faces%20tough%20sell%20in%20House

“Walmart Builds Own Search, No Competitive Advantage In Buying” by Frank Hayes at Storefront Backtalk.  “So why is the world’s largest retailer now focused on building its own technology instead of buying it off the shelf? According to the chain’s e-commerce chief, that’s the only way it can get a competitive advantage from the technology.  “We can’t do what we need to do and want to do with off-the-shelf solutions,” said Neil Ashe, Walmart president and CEO of global e-commerce.”  Read more:  https://storefrontbacktalk.com/e-commerce/walmart-builds-its-own-search-because-theres-no-competitive-advantage-in-buying/#ixzz2ShQpGDG3

“True Value Rolls Out New TV Campaign” by Sarah Mahoney at Marketing Daily.  ““We really wanted ads that would resonate with people who do their own projects, and the category is fraught with spots that are shot in the retail environment, full of smiling happy people wearing aprons,” says John Colasanti, CEO of Solve, the Minneapolis agency that created the campaign. “We thought it should be about what the brand helps the consumer do, and show how their lives were bettered. It’s a very different appeal, and a very inward focus.”  Read more:   https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/199794/true-value-rolls-out-new-tv-campaign.html#ixzz2ShNgDCrZ

“The Three Things Warby Parker Did To Launch A Successful Lifestyle Brand” by John Biggs at Techcrunch.  ““We only invested into three things the first year: to start our first collection, our website, and PR,” he said. Blumenthal later talked up importance of having a socially responsible mission — in this case, the company’s buy a pair, donate a pair Do Good program — and the effect it could have on driving sales.”  Read more:  https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/07/the-three-things-warby-parker-did-to-launch-a-successful-lifestyle-brand/

“Consumer Reports Index: Consumer Sentiment Jumps To Highest Level Since 2008”  “Retail numbers have not yet seen the benefit from this rise in consumer sentiment and declining financial difficulties. The index’s past 30-day retail measure shows that spending activity has slumped to its lowest level since October 2008, posting its fourth straight month of decline and now standing at 8.7, down from 9.6 the prior month. This decline was led by a softening in two high-ticket categories, major appliances and major home electronics.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6799040&access=EH

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“Walmart Launches National Advertising Campaign to Show “The Real Walmart”  “Walmart today announced the launch of a national television and digital advertising campaign and accompanying website (www.therealwalmart.com). The campaign demonstrates how people across America count on Walmart to save money on the products they want and need, how the company provides tremendous career opportunities for its associates and how it creates efficiencies and works directly with manufacturers to help deliver low prices.”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6788014&access=EH

“Top 10 ideas from Retail over the last 12 months”  at Springwise.  “#3: In China, virtual reality stores turn open spaces into a supermarket.  With the aim of providing a more interactive shopping experience, Yihaodian in China developed augmented reality stores that can only be accessed in certain public locations. When customers point their smartphone in the right direction at locations such as public squares, a virtual store is displayed where items sit on shelves or hang from the walls.”  Read more:  https://www.springwise.com/top-10-ideas-retail-12-months/

“Walmart.com has a new look” by Allison Enright at Internet Retailer.  “The top navigation bar now includes a “trending now” button. Clicking it takes consumers to a page where they can see which Walmart.com products are being shared on Pinterest and which products are selling the most on Walmart.com. The Walmart.com trending information is categorized as best sellers, top-searched, just-reviewed and best-rated. It also includes “just sold” products, displaying the name and photo of the product and how recently it was purchased.”  Read more:  https://www.internetretailer.com/2013/05/03/walmartcom-has-new-look

“In Tomorrow’s Retail Universe, the Destination Is ‘You’” by Doug Stephens at Street Fight.  “The future will see consumers move between anywhere convenience and only-here experiences. Increasingly it will not be the consumer who travels to the store, but the products that travel to the consumer in a completely seamless, serendipitous and relevant way. Consumers will regulate their interests, control their privacy and dictate many of the terms of engagement. And if a brand doesn’t like it, consumers will simply move down the list until they find a one that does.”  Read more:  https://streetfightmag.com/2013/05/01/in-tomorrows-retail-universe-the-destination-is-you/

“Staples First Major U.S. Retailer to Announce Availability of 3D Printers”  “The Cube® 3D Printer, ready to use right out of the box, features Wi-Fi, is compatible with Mac or Windows, and comes with 25 free 3D templates designed by professional artists, with additional templates available online. With its ultra portable design, the Cube® fits easily in the office, classroom or living room, making it the perfect 3D printing device for designers, small businesses, students and kids.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130503005116&div=-1245645151

“Bait-and-Switch: Beware Low-Price Guarantees” by Brad Tuttle at Time.  “Retailers love that price-matching guarantees attract shoppers. At the same time, they hate it when customers actually try to take advantage of these policies…Bloomberg News recently rounded up many of the gripes consumers have regarding the price-matching policies of national retailers such as Walmart and Toys R Us. Mostly, the complaints center on how confusing and frustrating the policies can be, especially because the decisions inside stores to allow or shoot down price-match requests can seem arbitrary.”  Read more:  https://business.time.com/2013/05/04/the-bait-and-switch-behind-low-price-guarantees/#ixzz2SVlPViyQ

“While Sears Struggles, It’s Little-Known Big Data Division Is Gaining Heat” by Sandra Guy at Chicago Grid.  “CEO Phil Shelley, who is marking his one-year anniversary leading the venture, and as Sears chief technology officer, has become one of the most sought-after geek therapists on the IT leadership speaking circuit.  “People want to learn how Sears is using its innovative techniques to manage and drive value from data,” he says. “People are asking us, ‘What did you do? Can you help us get started?’”  Read more:  https://www.chicagogrid.com/news/sears-struggles-little-known-big-data-division-gaining-heat/

“Walgreens April Sales Increase 3.8 Percent”  “Total front-end sales decreased 2.9 percent compared with the same month in fiscal 2012, while comparable store front-end sales decreased 4.3 percent. Customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 5.9 percent while basket size increased 1.6 percent.  For the combined March/April period that includes the Easter holiday season, comparable store front-end sales decreased by 0.2 percent, while customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 4.0 percent and basket size increased 3.8 percent.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130503005154&div=-1245645151

“Thousands queue up for Berlin’s first Apple Store” by Phillip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune.  “After openings in Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg Alster, Hamburg Jungfernstieg, Dresden, Cologne, Oberhausen, Augsburg, Sindelfingen and Sulzbach, Apple (AAPL) finally built its first store in Berlin, and the faithful turned up in droves. The store — the country’s largest, with a full-sized auditorium on the second floor — opened Friday at 5 p.m.”  See the video:  https://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/03/apple-store-berlin/?iid=SF_F_River

“On Rekindling A Sense Of Mystery” by Notasha Lomas at Tech Crunch.  “A little disconnection goes a long way.  In the tangled web of digital social networks that we weave one thing is increasingly absent: a sense of mystery.  We are so wrapped up in our digital social graphs there’s rarely room for gaps. Our networks offer the promise of being entangled with ever more connections — reaching out to grasp the hands of friends’ friends (and so on to the edge of the digital universe) – reminding us how few degrees of separation there are between citizens of the wired world.”  Read more:  https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/05/falling-down-the-rabbit-hole/

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“Retailers Wage War Against Long Lines” by Julie Jargon at WSJ.  “Supermarket giant Kroger Co. is winning the war against lengthy checkout lines with a powerful weapon: infrared cameras long used by the military and law-enforcement to track people.  These cameras, which detect body heat, sit at the entrances and above cash registers at most of Kroger’s roughly 2,400 stores. Paired with in-house software that determines the number of lanes that need to be open, the technology has reduced the customer’s average wait time to 26 seconds. That compares with an average of four minutes before Kroger began installing the cameras in 2010.”  Read more:  https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323798104578453293807869744.html?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

“Walmart declares May 2 its National Day of Savings, Launches Frugal Heroes Challenge”  “To kick off the day, Walmart Canada will host the first-ever Frugal Heroes Challenge, where bloggers from coast-to-coast will find cost-effective solutions to every day budget challenges. Canadians are invited to join the Challenge, share their own budgeting tips and follow the action on facebook.com/walmartcanada and on Twitter (#WalmartFrugalHeroes).”  Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6763678&access=EH

“CVS Caremark Reports Strong First Quarter Results”  “First Quarter Year-over-year Highlights:

*  Operating profit increased 21.0% to $1.7 billion

*  Retail pharmacy same store prescription volumes increased 2.0%; 4.7% on a 30-day equivalent basis

*  Retail pharmacy same store sales declined 2.3% due to new generic introductions; front store same store sales increased 1.4%”

Read more:  https://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=6764045&access=EH

“Sears seeks to lease space in 8 namesake, Kmart stores” by Corilyn Shropshire at Chicago Tribune.  “As Sears aims to shore up its finances, the retailer has launched a website dedicated to marketing its real estate holdings. SHCrealty.com lists roughly 58 Chicago area stores available for lease or sale…Spokesman Riefs said the company has no plans to close the operating stores. He said it is looking for additional tenants to share the space with the Kmart or Sears stores that will continue to operate there.”  Read more:  https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-sears-closings-six-more-chicagoarea-sears-kmart-stores-closing-20130426,0,4695179.story

“Deep Inside Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco” by Austin Carr at Fast Company.  “Like any serious renovation, Taco Bell’s started with a trip to Home Depot. It was April 2009. To show executives how the companies could fuse the flavor of Doritos with taco shells, the dev teams “basically went out to Home Depot to buy a paint-spray gun, and then sprayed [Doritos] flavoring onto our existing yellow corn tacos,” recalls Creed, with a chuckle. “It was pretty funny watching people from behind glass spraying our tacos with a paint gun. But it was enough for us to know conceptually that we had a big idea.”  Read more:  https://www.fastcompany.com/3008346/deep-inside-taco-bells-doritos-locos-taco 

“NRF Foundation Launches Resource for Industry Research”  “This new website will feature analysis and highlights of NRF’s consumer spending surveys, key government indicators that relate to the economy, retail and employment, and other unique datasets surrounding retail companies, purchasing influencers and economic trends.”  Read more:  https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130501006563&div=-1245645151

“Walmart Is First Marketer of the Year at AHAA Conference” by Laurel Wentz at Ad Age.  “Walmart spent about $60 million on Hispanic marketing alone in both 2011 and 2012. At the ANA conference last October, Mr. Rogers said that 100% of Walmart’s growth in sales is going to come from multicultural customers, leading the company to decide to at least double its spending to reach those customers in 2013.”  Read more:  https://adage.com/article/hispanic-marketing/walmart-hispanic-group-s-marketer-year/241243/

“Target, Coca-Cola, Warby Parker Execs Get Candid About Courting Next-Generation Consumers” by Jennifer Rooney at Forbes.  “Jeff Jones (Target CMO):  By around 2020, Millennial spending power will surpass Baby Boomers and Gen X. It’s an important consumer today and will be very important in the future.”  Read more:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferrooney/2013/05/01/in-advance-of-pttow-summit-targets-jeff-jones-coca-colas-joe-tripodi-warby-parkers-neil-blumenthal-get-candid-about-courting-next-generation-consumers/

“J.C. Penney ad apologizes to customers” by Mae Anderson at AP.  “J.C. Penney is sorry and it wants your business back.  That’s the gist of its latest ad, a public “mea culpa” which the mid-priced department-store put on its YouTube and Facebook pages.  The ad, titled “It’s no secret,” shows shots of women working, playing with their children and doing other everyday activities.  “Recently J.C. Penney changed,” a voiceover states. “Some changes you liked, and some you didn’t. But what matters with mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you.”  Read more:  https://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/texas/jc-penney-ad-apologizes-to-customers/nXdM9/

Thanks for reading…

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